NY Fishing Reports for December 2008

[bunkerjoe4]

Important when registering on our site use an active email address so you can activate account to be able to post.

Please post fishing reports here.......as little or as much detail as you want to give.

Please note: NO SPOT BURNING! Posts burning spots will be Edited or DELETED!
Some veteran fishermen have put in years developing and learning about certain spots.Some of these spots can only handle a few guys at a time. We are losing enough access as it is, due to the unfortunate behavior of a few selfish people. No sense in making it worse.

For some areas, it would be wiser to say:
OutFront (Ocean) OR -- OutBack (Bay) -- if you feel too many people will figure out what you are talking about. "Spot burning" also could involve mentioning something specific only to that area. If you do this, your post may be edited, or deleted. Remember that thousands of people could potentially read these posts. You don't want to be fishing next to ALL of them at the same time!


IF you are fishing an area that is NOT residential, being vague is less critical. For example, it's acceptable to say (Any)Park, or (Any)Bay, or mention a specific state park that has loads of parking and can handle the crowds.


If you are unclear on this concept, ask yourself:


If I name this place on the internet, will it be too crowded for me to enjoy tomorrow when people hear I got 30 fish here today?


If the answer is "Yes", then you should probably not be so specific.

We post these reports so our community will have a sense of what is working, what is not. We want to show people how to catch fish, rather than where.Even if you struck out or got skunked, it would be helpful to hear that as well.

If you have any additional details you would like to share - weather conditions, tide (incoming, outgoing, ebb, flood) water temps, bait present, or other mention of techniques or plugs used - feel free, as long as you are not overly specific about location.

Some acronyms -

BP -- Breezy Point

CB -- CrossBay Bridge
CI -- Coney Island

FB -- Floyd Bennett
FI -- Fire Island
FT -- Fort Tilden Park
FW -- Fort Wadsworth


GSB - Great South Bay
GK- Great Kills


Jones -- Jones Beach/Debs
WE -- West End

JB -- Jamaica Bay
LB -- Long Beach

MB -- Manhasset Bay
MI -- Moriches Inlet or nearby
MPP -- Marine Parkway Bridge


LNB - Little Neck Bay
OB -- Oyster Bay
PB -- Peconic Bay

RM -- Robert Moses

SB -- Sheepshead Bay

Shinny -- Shinnecock Inlet or nearby
SI -- Staten Island
ST -- Sore Thumb

NS -- North Shore
SS -- South Shore




Mecca -- if you gotta ask where that is, can't help ya :D

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ/NY WIR 12-1-08

Folks, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and had some time to visit with family. We come from all walks of life here. The love of fishing unites us. Where would we be without our families and friends, though? :HappyWave:

The fall fishing opportunities are diminishing as the main body of bigger fish are continuing to please anglers in the Delmarva area and the CBBT. There are still fish around, but you have to work for them. Some have made the decision that fishing in NJ and NY is not worth it now, and have turned their focus to hunting, "honey do" lists, and other things that may have fallen by the wayside. Others have changed their geographical focus and are targeting these fish further South. These are all good decisions, and solely the choice of each individual.

For the die-hard fishermen who won't give up, fish are available if you are willing to search for them. You may have to expand your range to a different county. One day they are feeding heavily on bait in the North, the next day the game goes to the guys fishing in the Southern sector.

The bait is a good indication this time of year. As bait moves south on its migration, fish will naturally follow it. There is so much bait remaining in certain areas, bluefish, which are normally gone by this time, are still feeding here. This despite the colder water temperatures.

However, there are many areas that will not produce. Focusing on known areas where you might find bait, or areas that benefit by having structure and/or current flowing, will increase your chances. You, as a fisherman, will have to be quicker to discern and eliminate the unproductive areas if you want to find a few fish. It truly does become more of a hunt than a guess.

Log books from past years will help you to see if any patterns of this season fit in to this one. We traditionally have a nice run of decent bass as the already abundant herring gather into bigger schools. These bigger bass haven't hit our surf yet, but people are anticipating their arrival. There are still some nice pods of bigger bass off the coast of Long Island. They could pass offshore miles away from the sand, or could surprise us with a few memorable visits.

No one can predict this with any accuracy. That's why it is a good idea to keep detailed log books and make your own assessments. You become a better fisherman from looking at what you did in the past, and trying to learn from it. But you guys know that already. :)

Again, I remind everyone to think safety out there at this time of year. The conditions are sometimes brutal. With some of the Noreasters coming our way combined with the full moon, some currents could be overwhelming. Frostbite is serious, and it only takes a short time to cause damage to soft tissue in freezing and wet conditions. Suppose you're out there fishing, you get soaked in freezing rain, you're fishing by yourself, and a rogue wave crashes over your head, soaking everything. At that point, it's no shame to call it a night and go home. Think of your family and friends who will have different lives if you don't make it back. We don't have any fishermen to spare, so please think of the consequences when you are out there. No fish is worth it.

The fishing community has lost many good guys this year. The most recent sadness was the tragic passing of Marty McMillan, a respected icon in the Long Island fishing community, and seasoned angler. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Be safe out there. - bunkerjoe

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[bunkerjoe4]

OK folks, the winner for the November NJ fishing reports plug giveaway is crosseyedbass. :clapping:

Please e-mail me the address where you want it sent. The plug will be a Davis topwater swimmer. If anyone has not yet checked out the thread for Davis lures, go take a look. He's a good plug-builder, sells them at reasonable prices, and as shown, they do catch fish.

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=78 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=78)


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[pinhead44]

LB area last night for a few hours. Conditions weren't that bad, a little windy, but otherwise not too bad. I alternated between bucktail and pure white tsunami shad. Couldn't even get a bump. I heard some nice fish being caught to the E. I hope they show up soon.

[stripercrazy]

Fished the FI area this morning. Nice morning to fish, there didn't seem to much life around in the surf. Conditions mild, maybe low 40's, S/SW wind. One small schoolie on a spro bucktail. I saw birds, too far out, no boats on them at the time.

[plugginpete]

Long beach area sunrise to 9am. One small bass 22" on a schoolbus bomber.

[williehookem]

LB yesterday from 2-5pm. 2 schoolies on a bucktail with pork rind.

[stripercrazy]

One small bass 22' on a bucktail this morning, FI area. Cold out there.

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ/NY WIR 12-8-08

Folks, it's cold outside. Many have given up on the small bass and are in the process of doing their end of year maintenance and repair before stowing things away for the cold winter. Many people have asked if fishing is over, or if it is worthwhile to make the trip. As I said last week, right now you might have more productive things to do besides fishing for small bass. The last days have been cold. Fishing out there may cause you to question your sanity, particularly if it seems there are only a few bass around.

And there are, only a few.

The action is nothing to write home about. Sometimes it can be downright depressing. I feel it is more depressing to sit in a chair and think about the fish you might catch in March.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif That chair can be mighty comfortable when the wind is howling outside.

There are good amounts of sub-legal bass, and a prodigious amount of sandeels and rainfish, parked just offshore of NY and NJ. Sadly, these locations are out of the reach of many surfcasters, but not always -- hence the discouragement when you see birds and feel if you could only cast 500 feet, you would be into fish.

Realistically, this last of the run is passing us by, and many of the bigger bass are South, from the Cape May Rips to the CBBT. Anyone who is considering a road trip down there, now would be a good time.

For the rest of the folks who only have a few hours at a time to visit the surf and are trying to relax and catch a few fish, there are a finite number of good days left. The winter sun is an inspiring thing at times. The sunrise this morning was incredible, and the kind of thing that makes you feel good to be on this earth, no matter what activity you are doing.

The best bets for getting some of these small bass are the metal and teaser rigs, smaller plastic or wood presentations, and the ubiquitous bucktail, a stalwart in the ever changing world of fishing tackle. As always, clams will bring in fish when nothing else will.

We are in for a few warmer days. There are some bigger bass in the inshore waters following and eating the now abundant herring. The bass, and some bluefish, will be here as long as they can find the abundance of food that still remains off our shores.

There have still been some limited opportunities for surfcasters in the last week who have been around when the fish and baitfish push into the surf zone. At some point, things will shut down as the water temperature drops into the lower 40's. You can still catch fish out there, if you are willing to work hard for them and move around frequently.

For those who have given up on surf fishing and are looking for other fishing related activities, the winter fishing exhibitions and shows will soon be in your area. I will post a schedule as soon as I get a chance, or if someone beats me to it and posts one, I thank you ahead of time. - bunkerjoe

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[pescador29]

I was fishing Breezy with my cousin in the afternoon. It was very nice there. and we saw birds very far. We did catch some small stripers using metal jigs. The biggest was 26", no keepers.

[crosseyedbass]

Bunkerjoe dude, I got my plug and wanted to thank you. I never win anything, so it's great. I can't wait to fish it. :clapping:

[stripercrazy]

Fished the Rockaways in the rain yesterday. There were some schoolies around. Got 5 to 25" on bucktail and sandeel teaser, most on the teaser.

[stormchaser]

Long Beach area 5-7am. The surf was rough, and it was windy. I had to time my casts between the gusts, throwing a blurple bomber, magnum. 2 fat shorts, the biggest being 25". Around 7 there was some birdplay, too far off to reach.

[plugginpete]

Rockaway area fished the incoming this morning for 2 hours. Fished a chicken scratch bomber, water was dirty, beautiful sunrise, not a tap. :skunk:

[stripercrazy]

6-9am Breezy, 2 schoolies on a bucktail and red pork rind strip. There were a lot of clams smashed up on the beach, anyone who wants free bait load em up.

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ/NY WIR 12-15-08

Folks, we have been through some stormy weather, with some more predicted for this week. The small fish are still feeding, though the bite is spotty. If you want to use your fishing time productively, try to target before or after weather systems come through. Another good thought when the water is colder is that when you have a few days of warming after a prolonged cold snap, sometimes the bite improves.

Realistically, this doesn't change the ocean temperatures much, which are now in the mid-40's. Late in the season, sunny days offer more opportunity for surfcasters and bait fishermen.

There have been a few good days of fishing here and there. Bear in mind that keepers are now few and far between. The bulk of the larger fish, as mentioned previously, are now setting up in their southern wintering grounds. There are still a few large bass to be caught from south Jersey beaches. Last week, a fisherman caught a 49lb bass from a Cape May beach using a ling head.

There have also been some magnificent catches reported in the area of the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel. A 63 pound striped bass was caught recently from a boat, and there are daily reports of fish in the 40's and 50's being taken.

Anyone who hasn't winterized their boat for the winter, now would be a good time for a trip to that area to partake of the incredible fishing.

As to the NJ and NY beaches, there are still some small bass. With the weather patterns as they are, more rain is forecast this week. The temperatures will be relatively mild for this time of year, so take advantage of them and use those sunny days to escape the "honey do" lists and fish for a few hours. :) Tight lines, bunkerjoe.

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[stormchaser]

LB, right before sunset. Windy and a little wet. Caught the skunk, but I did hear of some herring being caught in the inside.

[stripercrazy]

LB, right before sunset. Windy and a little wet. Caught the skunk, but I did hear of some herring being caught in the inside.

The herring are here, guys. Got a mess of them on sabikis yesterday. Long Beach, in the back.

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ/NY WIR 12-22-08


Folks, we are coming to a close to the year, and the striped bass season for NJ. The NY saltwater striped bass season has already closed, and folks are busy preparing for the Holidays.

The bitter cold of the last 2 days is not a motivating factor for anyone but the most diehard anglers to go fishing. The bass that remain are small, the good days are few and far between, and most folks have turned to other pursuits.

A pick of small bass can still be found for the bravest. The best hours to go fishing are now centered around sunny days and afternoons, as I have mentioned. There are herring and shad to be found for those who need to have some kind of action. If you do get into small bass, please be careful with catch and release. These small "rats" are the cows of tomorrow. Thank you for all the support and helping your fellow fishermen. For those who are still fishing, those posting in the bottom fishing reports will be eligible to win an award toward the cost of a trip in the Spring.

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I would like to thank everyone who has participated in these fishing reports, whether to post, or just to come here and spend a while with us. I wish you and your families a Happy Holiday season! I hope the New Year will be better for us all. :HappyWave: -- bunkerjoe

[crosseyedbass]

I have been getting out during these last few days and hitting herring. No bass on them, but it's nice to wet a line and catch something. The best bite has been early in the morning, or toward the end of the day when it gets dark. Shad darts/sabiki combo rigs with pieces of silver mylar balloons stuck to the sabiki hooks are what I've been using. In the back, catch em and freeze for spring. Some guys I know have smokers. I had a few done that way, delish. :drool: